


20 Belief #writober2020

by YungWenLean



Category: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu | Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Genre: Gen, Humor, Implied/Referenced Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27110740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YungWenLean/pseuds/YungWenLean
Summary: Reuenthal is on Heinessen. Meanwhile, Mittermeyer, Mecklinger, Müller and Bittenfeld are on Fezzan and enjoying a mediocre lunch, nice wine and friendly conversation. Mittermeyer finds out that everyone assumes that he and Reuenthal are a couple. What? Seriously, guys, WHAT?
Relationships: definitely not Reuenthal/Mittermeyer
Kudos: 12





	20 Belief #writober2020

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be #writober2020 nr 18 - Friendship. Then I did that Poplin/Konev thing instead and moved it to Belief. LOOK, I can write Empire side too! Seriously, the only fanfic I had written before that Poplin thingy was an in-joke crack fic back in 2001 or something. So this is all new to me, and I had no idea I would end up with such a heavy side towards the FPA. I really like the Empire characters too, I just don't want to write about them as much, apparently. But! Here they are! Also, I just wanted to have a bunch of imperial admirals at the table and picked my favourites instead of trying to remember who was canonically on Fezzan at that time.

Bittenfeld, Mecklinger, Mittermeyer and Müller were alone at the restaurant for their late lunch meeting. The menu was the typical Fezzan hotel lunch mix of something for everyone, and everyone was equally underwhelmed, except for Bittenfeld who ordered the extra hot chorizo and took twice as long as everyone else to finish up through tears and curses. The wine was good, thanks to Mecklinger’s expertise. “He just makes up those words when he orders, right?” Bittenfeld asked as quietly as he could. “I also add the birth year of Reuenthal’s latest conquest”, Mecklinger agreed.

Whatever business they had to discuss, they were done with it before Bittenfeld was even halfway through hit sausage. Now they were just enjoying each-other’s company. Meeting like this was unusual now that they were spread out over the entire galaxy. Sure, they were needed at their workplaces, but if it was really urgent, people would call. Mecklinger ordered another bottle, explaining his reasoning to Müller who wanted to learn more about wine. Being the youngest of the admirals Müller could ask embarrassing questions without losing face. He used that ability a lot, which won him many friends among the older officers. “Everyone likes Riesling,” Mecklinger explained. “I’ve worked with a Riesling once!” Bittenfeld added. 

Everyone liked Riesling. Everyone liked the new Mercedes too. Bittenfeld wanted a black one, Müller was considering silver, Mittermeyer needed to consult with Evangelin on the color but they were definitely getting one as well. Mecklinger was happy with whatever the Admiralty sent for him, but thought the lines were elegant. Almost everyone agreed on a number of other things. The new period detective series were well made and no one could see the twist coming.  _ Enigma  _ was a cologne that women liked but men hated. The new shirt collars were less itchy than the old ones. Mecklinger recommended the jewelry cellar at the historical museum, but complained that the security search at the entrance was more rigorous than when he visited Reinhard. Bittenfeld suggested that the guards were probably just trying to feel Mecklinger up, as you all know what kind of guys would work in a jewelry cellar in a museum.

Müller and Mecklinger went strangely quiet. “Fritz” Mecklinger said. “Not in front of…” Müller added and nodded in Mittermeyer’s direction.

Mittermeyer did not follow. Maybe it was the Riesling. Maybe it was whatever Mecklinger ordered after the Riesling.

“This is Wolfgang ‘Sturm Wolf’ Mittermeyer, he can handle being the butt of the…”

“Fritz-Joseph!”, Müller’s voice didn’t rise but got firmer.

“What is this about?” Mittermeyer asked. Hos three companions stared at him. 

“Well,” Müller cleared his throat. Obviously he was chosen to speak as the one who would cause the least damage. “With you and Reuenthal, we think that gay jokes may be unneccessary.”

“I don’t really follow,” Mittermeyer said. He didn’t. 

“Since the two of you are together, we try not to speak maliciously about homosexuality around you. You probably have it hard enough,” Meckliner explained. 

“Oooooh, sure, me and Oskar, of cooourse...” 

“I told you!!!” Bittenfeld was delighted.

“Bittenfeld, you were the last one to figure it out,” Mecklinger sighed.

“How long have you two been, um, together?” Müller asked. 

“Ten years,” Mittermeyer replied, still not quite realising his situation. “We met at a cadet ball. He had lost a bet and had to wear a dress. I took pity on him and danced with him all night, but he tried to lead the entire time, so afterwards I showed him who’s the boss.”

“I knew he was the top! Guys, Kesler owes me a beer!” This was clearly the best thing that happened to Bittenfeld this whole day, better than the sausage.

“Was it hard before it was legal?” Müller asked.

“Yes, that’s why Oskar has been sleeping around so much, while I got married. So that no one would figure us out.” Mittermeyer thought he was being really funny, but no one laughed. Bittenfeld still looked delighted. Mecklinger and Müller were nodding seriously. That was when Mittermeyer realised that they weren’t joking. It took several minutes to stop the admirals from asking more questions and explain that he was just kidding and that this was news to him, unlike, apparently, everyone else.

“So you and Oskar, you have never ever ever?” Müller checked.

“No.”

“Not even drunk?” Müller double checked.

“No!”

“Not even in school?” Müller triple checked, just to make sure. 

“What, no?!” 

“It made so much sense, you and Oskar, Reinhard and Kircheis…” Bittenfeld muttered. You could see that he was thinking really hard, still not sure if he could trust Mittermeyer on this matter. Mittermeyer had many questions about Reinhard and Kircheis, but now was not the time.

“We’re sorry, Wolfgang. You and Oskar have always been so close and it all looked a lot like the arrangements of personal friends of mine,” Mecklinger explained. 

Wolfgang opened his mouth to say that he was married, but before he had spoken, he realised that the admirals would look at him like he was too naive to exist. People cheated on their wives no matter the sex of the lover. “But, this is not…  _ normal _ ,” MIttermeyer tried to explain. “My parents would be… It was  _ illegal  _ until last year”.

Now they all looked at him like he was too naive to exist. Mittermeyer had a moment of clarity.

“Is it one of those things that are bad when commoners do them, but cool when nobles do them, right?”.

“YES!” Bittenfeld shouted. “Now that you say it...”

“Yes” Mecklinger said, like he had a list of society rules for beginners in his pocket, which he probably had. 

“Are there more things like that?” Müller asked in the polite and curious tone that suits the young and beautiful.

“Daytime drinking”, Mecklinger replied.

Mittermeyer and Müller put down their glasses. Bittenfeld emptied his.

“Does Os… Does Reuenthal know?” Mittermeyer asked. 

“About you two sleeping together?” Bittenfeld decided that if he’d keep acting like Mittermeyer was lying he would either be in the right or annoy Mittermeyer. Both were good options.

“He’s smart, but maybe he just thinks that we give you two a lot of space because we don’t like him?” Müller suggested. Everyone agreed that Reuenthal just might.

“So he does sleep around that much,” Mecklinger added thoughtfully. “I thought it was all decoy”. 

***

They stayed at the hotell for another hour. After that Mittermeyer was called to his office to sign some papers. The rest of them joined and they continued their meeting there. When Wolfgang came home, Eva was already asleep. Wolfram joined her in bed, but couldn’t sleep, thoughts rushing through his head. At last he had to wake her up. 

“Eva, Eva, are you awake?” he said after bumping her shoulder.

“Mmmm, are you home? How was your day?”

“Everyone thinks that I and Reuenthal are sleeping together”

“Oh? Go to sleep, honey.”

Eva rolled over to her side and soon she was asleep again. Mittermeyer tried to, but finally he couldn’t stop himself.

“Eva, are you awake?”

“Mmmm?”

“You don’t think that Reuenthal is sleeping with me, right?”

Eva made the effort to open her eyes and look at her husband.

“Wolf, that’s nonsense. He’s nice to you, remember. He wouldn’t be nice to you if he was sleeping with you. Now go to sleep.”


End file.
